<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;A suspenseful plot spanning cultures, religions, and countries, <em>The Operative: Escape from Saudi Arabia</em> takes the reader into a world few of us have experienced. The first of a fascinating trilogy, Forsythe weaves fact and fiction in this powerful tale.&rdquo;</p>

<p><strong>&mdash;</strong><strong>Jan Macomber, MA English Literature</strong></p>
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<p>Bill Williams was only ten years old when both his parents died&mdash;his small-town life in Duncan, Oklahoma was over. Life intervened in the form of his Uncle Sly who tried to tame the spirited boy without success. For a time, Bill lived in an orphanage. A reluctant student, he became fascinated with psychology and hypnosis. After college he joined the military and landed in Saudi Arabia where he was arrested as an Israeli spy. His daring three-week escape across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia to Israel in a small Arab sail boat called a <em>dhow</em> is only one of many adventures of the intrepid, Dr. Bill Williams. Most of his daring exploits are embellished, but based on true events during his ten years as an educator in Saudi Arabia.</p>

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<p>This book is the first, in the <em>Teacher, Soldier, Spy</em> trilogy that chronicles two wars: Vietnam and the Russian Afghan War. The next two books in the trilogy are <em>Forks in the Road</em>, which is set in Vietnam, and the <em>Afghan Bear Trap</em>, set in Russia.</p>